Newsletter 2008 12 December

Newsletter Www.TheEDGE.org.au

December 2008

God’s Calling in Your Life In the early stages of pregnancy, a baby is easier to lose. The same applies to your Godgiven calling; you need to protect it. The enemy tried to destroy Moses and Jesus before they reached their second birthday. Why? He feared their future! There are certain things you need to do in order to fulfill what God has called you to do. When your doctor says, 'No smoking, drinking or eating certain foods, etc.,' he's thinking about your welfare and that of your baby. 'But others can do these things,' you say. Yes, but they're not carrying within them what you are. God's calling means daring to be different, even radical. It means being obedient, staying out of certain places, and reordering your priorities. If you think “God's calling fulfilling a calling is easy, check the price tag! Like childbirth, it's hard, it's lonely, it's sleepless, it's appetite-changing, it's schedule-altering. It involves pain and means daring leaves stretch marks. So before you give lip service to, or play around with God's to be different, call on your life, ask yourself, 'Am I ready to carry this thing full term?' A calling isn't for the immature, the impatient or the faint of heart. And you can't downsize it even radical.” when things get tough. Esther's call meant putting her life on the line and saying, 'If I perish, I perish' (Es 4:16). Did she perish? No, but she had to be willing to. Are you?. Finding Balance — Rose „Look mum, no hands!‟- In my household, those words were forbidden. After 8 years, we were able to associate that phrase with a quick trip to the emergency room. For me, riding a bike was easy, maintaining balance was not. I not-so-quickly realised that although I was still pedalling I wasn‟t able to balance. I needed my hands to hold the bike in place, to force me to lean down, to centre my balance. It‟s like that in life too, we might be doing all the right things, studying hard, looking after our families, even going to church. But unless we have a balance, unless we are centered around God, we will fall and the consequences will be much worse than 2-6 weeks in a cast. The bible says „Seek ye FIRST, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you‟ (Matt 6:33). God understands our needs, our wants, but he also understands that if we put him first, he will be able to give us those and more. He understands, we need to use our hands to pick up the bike, to hold it in place, to maintain our balance and THEN pedal.

Profiling Santa Claus Also known as: St. Nicholas; Kris Kringle; Father Christmas Santa Claus is the mythical figure who delivers toys to children around the world each year on Christmas Eve. According to legend, Santa lives at the North Pole and oversees a toy workshop run by busy elves. Each December 24th, on the eve of the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Santa is said to fly around the world delivering his toys in a sled pulled by eight reindeer: Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder (or Donner), Prancer, and Vixen. (A ninth reindeer with a shiny nose, Rudolph, was introduced in Gene Autry's 1949 country music hit "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.") The name Santa Claus was derived from Sinterklaas, the Dutch term for the ancient Christian figure of Saint Nicholas.

FOR YOUR CALENDAR Christmas Meeting —20th Dec 2008 EDGE Review—27th Dec Fundraising BBQ @ Bunnings— 27th Nov Casting Crowns Concert– 22nd Jan 2009 PRAISE POINTS Safe & Enjoyable Getaway! Cindy’s Operation Successful A year over, full of God’s blessings and provisions PRAYER POINTS Families away during Christmas break. All Azers and Awads. Christmas & New year events & outreaches in all churches 2009 EDGE Plans QUOTE OF THE WEEK "It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” - Charles Dickens

BIRTHDAYS

Our Lord Jesus Christ (Celebrated 25th December)